Can a vet diagnose dog testicular cancer just by looking, no tests?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is done by different methods but all including an examination including a rectal exam. Further diagnostics include an ultrasound of the testicle and also a FNA (fine needle aspirate) of the testicular mass to identify the cancer. Therapy usually includes castration though given these tumors can spread to other locations, an abdominal ultrasound and chest radiographs should be performed to check for this first. Usually these tumors have a low rate of spread and surgery is the only therapy recommended. Good luck and have a great day!

This depends on whether the mass is on the scrotal skin or actually on the testicle itself. If a tumor is on the testicle then the whole testicle should be removed. If it is on the skin then the testicle does not need to be removed, but sometimes this is a hard area to perform a wide excision without removing the whole scrotum. Your dog is very young, has this mass been confirmed as a tumor by non invasive means first, like a needle aspirate? Given the age investigating in a non invasive way prior to any invasive treatment is recommended. As well, if a tumor is diagnosed, then staging to make sure there is no spread would be important prior to surgery. Also, if your pet does have a tumor then breeding a pet with a history of a tumor is not recommended. Consultation with a boarded veterinary oncologist and/or boarded veterinary surgeon in your area may be helpful before making a final treatment plan. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

There is no way for me (or any other vet) to tell if the mass is cancerous or not just by looking at it. You will need to have your vet either surgically remove it and send it to a diagnostic laboratory so they can examine it under a microscope. Only then can you have a diagnosis of cancerous or not. There is a way to get a preliminary idea without surgery and that is with a fine needle aspirate. Your vet will put a needle directly into the mass (anesthesia is not required) and pull out some cells, put those cells on a microscope slide and then analyze them. This may give you a cursory idea of what type of mass it is. So, one of those things will need to be done before you can get an answer. Hope this helps.

Hi Holly! Unfortunately yes, there is always a possibility this could be a testicular tumor, but it could either be a benign or a malignant tumor. The best thing to do is consult with your vet so that these lumps can be examined in person and diagnosed. Treatment for testicular tumors does involving neutering the dog, and that can be curative and often the only treatment needed. Make an appointment for Romo with the vet in the next day or two. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Yes, they appear fairly normal, but I would have to examine them closer and palpate them in order to ensure that everything is normal. If there is a concern, then it's best to have him examined by a vet. I hope that helps and all is well with Bear.

Poor Oscar! His scrotum does look quite swollen and sore. Yes, unfortunately this could definitely be caused by testicular cancer, as this is a fairly common problem in older intact male dogs. He could also have an infection of the scrotum or testicles causing this swelling. I would recommend taking him to the vet to have this checked as soon as you are able to. He/she can take a biopsy if needed to help determine exactly what's going on, and may recommend surgical removal if cancer is suspected.

It certainly looks like your dog has completely normal and healthy testicles, as far as I can possibly say without palpating them. It is quite normal that one testicle is a little bit bigger than the other. The skin looks normally pale pink, ie not red and inflamed, and the scrotum appears to have normal hair. So, I do not think you have to worry about Bear's testicles being abnormal or diseased.